Instagram snapshots #1.

I don't use instagram as much as most people and only really put one or two pictures up a week, if that. As I've been doing stuff though, I've actually been using it quite a bit over the last week or so as it's been close to Christmas so I thought I would share some of my photos that haven't already featured here!

Essie's Muchi Muchi

Off to college!

Homemade meringue!
(Shaped this one myself, I was so proud!)

Chocolate mousse and salted caramel bauble!

Passed my theory! 1 step closer to driving!

I found vintage Ferragamo shoes in an antiques shop for £8.50! So sad that they were too thin for my feet :(

I hope you guys enjoyed this, I might keep doing these when I've posted more on instagram! 

You can follow me here. 

Jess xx

Shoes and Accessories wish list.

I did a clothes wish list a couple of days ago and I decided to do one for my shoes and accessories that I'm craving! 

1. Black flats

I could happily buy these as replacements...

I have a pair of these that are really comfy but they're so old that there are holes in the back of both shoes so I need equally comfy replacements!

2. Brown Chelsea boots

These are almost exactly what I want...I think!

I've been wanting a pair of these for far too long and have so many items of clothing that would look great with a pair of these. I just need to find a pair that I like and can afford now! I also haven't decided the shade of brown or if I want a heel or not yet...decisions decisions! 

3. Brown (Tan) brogues

I love these!

Again, many outfits to pair them with, just lacking the shoe! I've actually decided that I want them in a tan colour and not heeled for these! 

4. Longchamp le pliage bag

The red one is my favourite but all of the colours are so pretty!

I've heard so many good things about these bags and I really love them even though my mum finds them boring and quite horrible. It's the perfect day time size for a bag and apparently fits a laptop, book, jumper, plus all of the usual items! They come in so many colours and I think that if I ever actually bought one, I would get either the red or the navy so it would go with majority of what I wear!

5. Red flats

So similar to my current pair!

I have a pair of these and again, they're wearing out. They're my favourite shoes and my most comfy but they don't sell them in red at New Look any more so I was super upset to find I couldn't just get an exact replacement because they go with literally everything I own! I hope that New Look decide to stock them in the red again sometime soon so I can properly repurchase otherwise I'll have to find a more expensive alternative that doesn't feel as comfy! They were only £8 so I'm sad that I can't find them again - they were a complete bargain!

6. Nude heels

Not the right colour but they look pretty. Maybe a bit too high for wearing around daily!

I haven't got many pairs of plain heels and nude heels are one of the pairs that I think will go well with  a good few of my outfits. They're also classy and if I get a good pair, I will be able to wear them for a good few years to come! I really want to find the right nude as well, some (like above) are too sandy and I'm looking for more of a pink nude colour instead.

7. Black heels

They aren't skyscrapers or kitten heels so I think these would be perfect for work/interviews/a day out!

As I get older, I'm more likely to go to interviews or important occasions where looking smart is essential. Having a good pair of black heels will be a key thing so you can get them out when they're needed. I also think they'd look really nice with my new boyfriend jeans to dress them up a bit! They would also look great with a few other outfits and that's just off the top of my head! Black is great as they can go with anything!

8. Red heels

A bit too high for just wearing with every day outfits...the search continues!

My final pair. I wear a lot of navy so naturally red is my main go-to accessory colour. I've been toying with the idea of buying a pair of red heels for a while but I've never found a pair that's just right. I don't know if I want them to be patent or suede or leather or what! I guess I'll know when I try them on and either fall in love or don't.

I know these were mainly shoes but I don't have many accessories that I pine after apart from that Longchamp bag and I have far too many pairs of shoes on my list even though I already have far too many pairs (I'm a girl though so it's acceptable...right?)

Jess xx

Kate Spade

As I said in a previous blog, I've had a bit of an obsession with Kate Spade for just under a year or so. I find their designs so cute and quirky but still sophisticated which I completely love. The bright colours and pretty designs and patterns for their clothes, bags and accessories are just amazing!
I've been wanting to see one of their shops since I saw pictures on The College Prepster's blog and I finally got to! It was only a little shop in Covent Garden, London but it was so amazing and lived up to the expectations that the American shops set!
The layout and displays reflected the brand's cute quirkiness perfectly, I wish I could have bought the whole shop!

I really want something similar in my house/apartment when I move out!

The window displays were amazing! I love all of the outfits! 

The light of the camera actually flashes!

The little popcorn tub is actually a bag!! I love the movies so this is an amazing line at the moment! 

I love the bird cages!

Book stacking always looks so awesome and the colour of the bag is my favourite! 

This is just by the stairs and the changing rooms, so simple but so cute! 

I will definitely be revisiting this shop when I have more money so I can buy some of their amazing stuff!
Jess xx

The Perfect Weekend.

This weekend made me realise that there's nothing that I love more than cuddling in bed playing pacman at 11pm with someone you care a lot about.

This weekend, as the title says, was really quite perfect. I went to see my close friend (&now boyfriend - yay!) down in Dorchester Friday-Sunday and it was really great! 

Friday was a relaxed day because it took 2 and a half hours by train to get down there which took up quite a bit of the day and included a stupid delay at my station so we had to go to the next station on which was quite stressful! From there everything was fine though; I got to Reading without any problems, got my coffee and some other bits & bobs and managed to balance 2 rather large bags, a coffee and a train ticket whilst walking through a barrier. I feel quite proud of myself for achieving this really! When I got there we decided what to do on Saturday and decided on the cinema so to prepare, we watched Despicable Me on DVD (plus all the extras - the minions are so so funny!). It must be one of my favourite films EVER. It's adorable and the minions and little girls are just hilarious and amazing! 

On Saturday we went to Weymouth which was really nice - it's a really pretty seaside town with lots of shops....me + shops = lots of shopping, and that's exactly what happened! I ended up getting some gorgeous black and white polka dot sandal wedges from Debenhams in the sale for £17.50 and they're just amazing! I'm going to take them on my trip to Sicily next week and gove them a good run out! They're so cute and comfortable too, I love them!

The perfect pair of wedges

I still can't believe they were only £17.50!

I was telling Mark about a perfume I've heard a lot about from other blogs and what not and how it smelled amazing. I went to the loo and I came back and he'd bought it for me as a present! He's really so adorable and it's amazing! (Just as a side note - we've been unofficial for about a month and a half, it's not like he's buying me amazing presents after a day of dating, don't worry!) The perfume is Laugh with me LeeLee by Benefit and it really is the most gorgeous and delicate summery floral smell. They describe it as a woody floral smell in the booklet and that's pretty much spot on I think! It's pretty and subtle so it's really good for an every day wear instead of a special occasion perfume. It also comes in the cutest packaging as well, I'm in love completely! It's so cute! The bottle is also amazing too!

If you haven't tried this out then do, it's really amazing! 

I also went to New Look and bought a couple of strappy tops for Sicily because they'll be good to wear in the super hot weather! I got a white one and a pink one and they're both so nice! 

We saw Despicable Me 2 in the cinema and it's honestly one of the funniest films I've ever seen. It matches and possibly even beats the first one which is pretty impressive! The little minion clips during the first part of the credits were also just as funny, I just can't get enough of those yellow guys! The purple minions were hilarious too! It's definitely one of my favourite non-Disney films though, so brilliant! 

We went to Dorchester centre on the Sunday and it was so lovely. There was a market which was really nice to look around and I ended up buying 8 books!!! I spent £8.50 on them put together instead of on only one so I'm pretty happy! I regret not getting more though because I overlooked some books because I thought mum had them but it turned out that she didn't so yeah...silly on my part really! I'm really excited to read the books I did get though! I've either heard really good things about the books, the authors or I thought they sounded interesting so I'm rather excited to give them a read! At least I won't be short of reading material on the Sicily trip! If you've read any of the books then tell me what they're like in the comments below!

I can't wait to start this pile! They all look so good! 

We also had a really lovely and romantic lunch at Carluccio's which was pretty perfect! I've decided I like Mark's neck of the woods rather a lot... His house is in the middle of nowhere and in a proper village like out of TV shows but it isn't completely remote because there are some pretty nice and rather big towns quite close by which is really nice! It makes where I live feel like the middle of a busy city! It's a shame we live so far apart because it's so lovely spending time with him and it's rather special and fun when we're together. He's one of those people I just click with and can have a great time with so yeah, pretty perfect if you ask me!
Jess xx

It's time to grow up, little wildflower.

I went shopping with my mum on Saturday which was awesome! We don't spend enough time alone together so it was good just having a girls day out. The main reason we were going in the first place was that I've been eyeing up some polka dot loafers in New Look for about 2 weeks so I decided to go and buy them! With my student card discount, I bought them for about £11 instead of £13 so I'm really pleased that I got to save money! They're gorgeous and really comfy so I'm super happy with them.
Mum also bought me this really gorgeous tunic dress from White Stuff, again polka dots!
If you haven't already figured out, I'm a bit of a spot lover! I find polka dots so cute! They make everything look amazing!


Absolutely love these shoes!

This dress is so pretty and comfy!

 

I've finally finished my classics notes for the Greek tragedy plays which has made me incredibly happy, I spent Sunday writing the last of them and I'm so glad they're done! I just hope that I've done them right now...
I found a really lovely song on YouTube which was suggested after listening to a couple of Lewis Watson songs (go and check him out, seriously. He's amazing!) and I've been listening to it for 5 days straight, not even joking. I haven't listened to any other song unless I'm listening to TV or the radio. It's called Little Wildflower by Andrew Simple and it's easily become my favourite song. It's another acoustic but what else is expected of my by now?! It's a gorgeous song and the lyrics are actually so relevant. I listen to it whilst revising and doing my work and most other times at the moment because I'm so stressed, I'm literally ready to crack at any second so it calms me down and makes me happy. I can't even put into words how much I love it! Listen to it and see for yourself! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpWz6TiYj6o
It was actually sunny today which was brilliant, always means everyone is in a good mood! Unfortunately, I then went to the extended project exhibition at college with my family to find that mine wasn't on display which was quite disappointing and upsetting because I worked really hard on it!
Ah well, things can only get better!
Jess xx



And toes!

So this is my last instalment in my little series of four posts! I hope you guys have enjoyed! I'm actually so surprised at how many pairs of shoes I have! However, a girl can never have too many shoes!

Boots
Due to the colder weather, I've practically been living in boots since about November. They're great for keeping your legs warm and they look great!

From left to right: Brown suede calf length boots from Next
Sheep wool boots (NOT UGGS) from Celtic
Brown snow boots from Snow and Rock
Brown suede calf length high heeled boots from Next

From left to right: Black biker style boots from H&M
Brown ankle boots from Johnnie B
Brown wool lined ankle boots from Johnnie B
Blue high heeled ankle boots from Marks and Spencer

These brown suede boots are some of my favourites ever. Before they decided to die on me, they were the most comfortable things alive and I would wear them everywhere. Unfortunately they've worn out quite a lot and the backs are shredded inside, producing quite evil blisters!
My parents bought me these as either a Christmas or Birthday present a few years ago and I loved them. I also take pride in the fact that they aren't Ugg boots so they're good quality with a decent tread so they can actually be used for walking as well as looking great!
My snow boots have literally been life savers during the snow and ice in the last month. They're warm and furry inside so they keep me snug whilst stopping me from falling flat on my bum! Most snow boots look like something out of a cheaply made Sci-fi film from the 70's, mine just look like regular boots which is great!
These heeled boots are the replacement pair for the other brown boots and boy do they fill in! Despite having quite a bit heel for an every day shoe, they're really comfortable! Plus they make your legs look longer and better!
My black boots have come in very handy at gigs! They're light and don't make your feet sweat and they have pretty big treads so you can stand on the feet of the annoying idiots that push against your back trying to get closer to the stage! The toe is also quite tough so if people tread on your feet, it doesn't hurt as much!
These are some of my favourite ankle boots to wear casually with a dress or skirt because they give a cute western-style look. They're super comfy but it takes a few tries to get the fastening straps done up right!
My fluffy ankle boots are great. The wool only surrounds the top so they keep your ankles warm which is always good!
My blue heeled boots are so cute because they're quite dark blue so they go with a lot of things! They also have zips up the side instead of having to use the laces which is always handy!

Pumps
I'm starting to fall in love with pumps. I didn't really used to wear them but I really like the cute and casual look they have and I just wish I had more pairs!

From left to right: Navy boat shoes from Crew
Blue pumps from New Look
Red pumps from New Look
Black star canvas pumps from New Look

I love to wear the boat shoes with my pink 3/4 length jeans I showed yesterday, they look so cute and nice together and they're perfect for a summer day!
These blue pumps are gorgeous and the little black bow just tops them off. They go so nicely with most things because of the black detailing. I love them!
The red pumps can be such a great splash of colour in a boring and dull outfit. The thin soles means that they're easy to fit in to a handbag if I need a pair of emergency flats at a party!
The black canvas pumps were such a bargain! I got them for £5 a few years ago and they're still going strong! Proof that you don't need expensive stuff to find quality (Although it is nice to be able to say you own something of a top-end brand, am I right?!) that lasts a long while!

Summer shoes
I love having a few pairs of shoes that are specifically for Summer, just like my snow boots are just for Winter! It's great being able to have a change from the enclosed shoes to opened toed and light shoes.

From left to right: Floral wedges from New Look
Gold sandals from Marks and Spencer
Brown leather high heels from H by Henry Holland at Debenhams

I don't usually like wedges but I saw these floral ones in the New Look sale last year and I HAD to have them. Only £5 as well! New Look do some amazing bargains on shoes! I love the way the floral pattern is on the whole of wedge instead of being the usual rope effect on them.
I don't normally wear sandals but I really like these because they have a back which means that my heel isn't flopping about all over the place and the shoes don't fall off! absolutely perfect!
I actually bought these for a Valentine's date last year but I still love them! They're comfy but not good for walking a lot in! I love that they're leather because they have such a nice worn look which makes them look natural. It also means that they soften when you wear them so they aren't all stiff like other shoes tend to be.

Converse
I have an unreal love for Converse. They're the only trainer type shoe I will wear and I have so many pretty colours; I almost own the rainbow in converse!!

From left to right: Purple high tops, Black pattern high tops,
Teal low tops, Green low tops, Red heart pattern low tops

I got the purple high tops as an early Christmas present when my black patterned pair gave up and died after ages of constant wearing. I love both pairs of high tops and they're awesome because they give the ankle a bit more support than the low tops.
I got both the teal and green pair of low tops in a sale at Office in Windsor. I decided it would be fun to wear one of each colour on each foot and it looked really awesome! Sadly, it ended up that one pair looked dirtier than the other so it looked silly to mx and match the pairs.
My family found the coolest website where you can make your own converse about 2 years ago, so each of us made ourselves a pair and I created a pair of red low tops with little white hearts all over them! My mum made the cutest pair with cupcakes on them...I still have to steal them off her sometime because we're the same size in shoe!

Party shoes!
There are some shoes that you just can't wear unless you're at a party. Luckily, I have a few pairs that are awesome just for this purpose! This is one reason where I find it perfectly acceptable to splurge on a really nice, comfy pair of heels just perfect for parties and similar gatherings.

From left to right: Black leather Lita boots from Jeffrey Campbell
Platform heels from Lipsy
Peep toe lace bow heels from Ted Baker

My Jeffrey Campbell's, as sad as it sounds, are ones of my prized possessions. Mum bought them for me after I pestered her for a pair for about a week before I tried them on in the shop and declared that they were perfection!! These boots have the biggest platform I've ever seen on them!! The boots make me about 6"0 compared to my usual 5"7 and they're the most comfortable heels I've ever bought. I can usually last an hour and a half in heels before they hurt my feet; I can last at least 3 hours in my Jeffrey Campbell's.
I originally bought the Lipsy shoes for Prom, but I found I couldn't wear them for long enough to be able to be comfortable the whole night. Luckily, they were good enough to become great party shoes because they look fantastic with some of my dresses I own!
The Ted Baker shoes were my Prom shoes in the end. The peep toe meant that essentially standing on my tip toes for hours on end wasn't as painful as it may have been. The lace bow is the cutest thing on the top and I love them because they aren't too high either, but they're high enough.

So that's the end of it! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading and looking through my wardrobe (or some of it anyway...) and hopefully I can come up with something vaguely similar to do in the future because it's been great knowing what to write for the last five days!
Jess xx

6 months!

So I've been running this blog for 6 months now! How crazy is that?! I can't believe it, it feels so much longer than that!
Sorry I haven't been blogging a lot recently, I've had rather a lot of work so it's been quite hectic! Sadly, it's now half term and I have a lot of work to do still so I won't be able to post very often, maybe every other day if I'm lucky.
Yesterday night I went to an end of exams party with my friends from my secondary school, held by their sixth form. It was amazing!! I got to spend time with my old friends, and people that had moved to my old school that I'd known before which was amazing to see so many familiar faces! I love my college and my friends there, but I'll always be a part of my friend group from secondary school, we just work together. I also get to see them on Tuesday because my half term is the week before theirs so I'm visiting them when they're still in school! I'm so excited!
I also saw the Autumn line for Kate Spade on instagram earlier, their clothes are so beautiful! I just wish their clothes were cheaper and more readily available in the UK instead of having to go all the way to London to get them! I'm actually in love with some of the pieces being released! It looks like they've made a yellow ballet shoe that has a taxi sign on it, they're adorable! I need more money desperately!
I have to read Jane Eyre for English lit, it's such a good book! It's taking me a while to get through it but I've read over 100 pages today which I'm pretty happy with! I need to read it by the end of half term so hopefully I'll get it done.
Hopefully I'll write again soon!
Jess xx

Tag! You're it.

So Kate has tagged me in some question chain things (http://smilingismyfavourite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/tag.html) which would be awesome if I knew 11 bloggers I'm friends with...

Here are the rules

- You answer the eleven questions the tagger has given you and make eleven more for the people you're going to tag!
- Tag eleven more bloggers
- Tell the people you have tagged to get their bums in gear (tell them you tagged them)
- No tagging back!

Already I'm having to say that I'm going to have to break some of these rules; I don't know eleven bloggers, let alone being friends with eleven bloggers, and I'm tagging Kate again so I don't look like a complete loser!

So, the questions...

1. Favourite drink ever? I will have to say either Diet Lemonade, Appletiser or Peach Ribena...they're all so good!!
2. The best film you ever saw and why? I have a lot of favourite films... Notting Hill - it's funny and cute and such a good rom com, Avengers - Iron man, Hulk, Thor, Loki and Captain America just shouldn't be allowed in a film together, too much awesome and WAY too much sass...honestly so so good!, My week with Marilyn - I love Marilyn Monroe and this film has Eddie Redmayne in it, what other reasons do I need? There are more but my final one of this list is... Aristocats - obviously I had to add a Disney film in here somewhere! It's such a cute film with the most awesome songs! What's not to love?!
3. The best book you ever read and why? The first book that jumps to mind when this question came up was Adorkable by Sarra Manning; It's the reason I'm writing this blog post after all! It's made me accept that being different is okay and I've accepted my weirdness! I'm happy with who I am and I'm not scared to stand out and be different from everyone now! As Jeane says, We have nothing to declare but our dorkiness and Never shield your oddness, but wear your oddness like a shield.
4. Your most worn pair of shoes? Both pairs are boots, one are my heeled riding boots and the others are a pair of snow boots that have been very useful over the last couple of weeks!



Snow boots! Aka the life savers!

My riding boots!





















5. Most recent purchase? Yay! A short question! I bought a bag of blue raspberry bon bons today from the weekly market in town! They're my favourite sweets ever!
6. The website you spend the most time on and why? Either Twitter because I find some funny conversation between people, or Tumblr because I get distracted by the awesome pictures! I do spend a lot of time on Facebook talking to people though...
7. Your favourite place in the world and why? I have a few. My bedroom because it's quiet and I'm surrounded by all of my stuff, it's nice to have a place that's completely personal. I like my living room too because then I get to spend time with my family which is always good. I love going to my grandma's too because it always smells nice and its just so warm and nice, and obviously the piano is there so yay for that! My last is Starbucks, doesn't really matter where but I do like the one by college because it's small and cozy. I always get my best ideas for my blog here, even though it's busy, it's where I get my alone time where I can just relax and think, and obviously hot chocolate!!!!!
8. What colour is your bedroom? It's a pale green, I got it done for my birthday when I moved up from secondary school so it looked more grown up from the purple, pink and blue with fairies I had before that...
9. Your favourite song? I answered this yesterday! My favourite song is Good Morning Sunshine by Alex Day, it always makes me happy! The link is on my last post!
10. What is your favourite season? I LOVE Autumn. Everything is changing colour and making the world pretty reds, golds and oranges. Plus it means that it's not boiling hot or freezing cold so you can wear nice clothes that don't cover up or show too much! Just in the middle and I love it!
11. Favourite word and why? Intricate - very complicated or detailed. It's a pretty word, and when I think of it, I imagine a huge tapestry that's got loads of patterns and stories woven in to it, and the more you look at it, the more you see.

I'm now tagging:
Clara: http://angrybirdssucks.blogspot.co.uk/
Sweeney: http://sween-bean.blogspot.co.uk/
2 good friends at college that created blogs after I told them about this one!

My questions to them:
1. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
2. Favourite book and why?
3. Space invaders or pacman?
4. If you could be a superhero, what would you be called and what powers would you have?
5. Favourite band and why?
6. What is the one thing you can't live without?
7. What job would you have if you could get any?
8. Favourite piece of clothing?
9. Favourite food?
10. Pirates or ninjas?
11. One band/artist you want to see live, dead or alive?

Hope you guys enjoyed!
Jess xx


'Cause I'm no Superman...

Just found this song, IT'S ADORABLE!!
It's called Superman - Joe Brooks
Sorry all of my posts are about songs recently, I have no inspiration whatsoever and I'm very busy with college work...Music has been getting me through it all so I guess it's relevant! :P
The song is really cute though, so is he ;P I'm not the only one that thinks that if a guy is well dressed that he's immediately more attractive, right? It just makes you appreciate it if they actually put effort in to wearing good clothes! Shirt, Jeans/chinos & decent shoes over trackies any day, yes please!
Anyway, here's a link to the song, hope you like it! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otx0Bnru0dY&feature=related
Jess xx